Put your thumbs in the air like you just don't care (Movie Reviews)

[Reply #600 on:]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I was taken to see this last night by my friends as an early birthday present. It was a special advance screening of it   

And I gotta say, its a LOT better than the first HP film. Even though the actors still aren't all that great, they've gotten a little bit more experience and they can act a little bit better. I gotta say, for a HP film, its kinda scary at some points. There were about 3 times that I and the rest of the cinema jumped   
Its got a good storyline and I was kept interested all the way through. The sets are fantastic, they really are! I spent half my time looking in the backround at the sets. There are quite a few funny moments and its touching just like the last one. Its longer than the first one but like I said, LOTS better. I recommend it to any HP fan   

Does a magical TOTPD 

[Reply #601 on:]

Brazil by Terry Gilliam is my all time favourite movie.
Shaolin Soccer is the latest good movie i've seen.

[Reply #602 on:]

I'd like to see the new HP film as well  I may do next weekend...

But apparently when I saw the first film, I shat myself when something happened. That's what my friend said anyway.

[Reply #603 on:]

Hey dubdub, I recommend that you watch other stephen chow flicks if you like Shoalin Soccer. He's the Jim Carrey of Asia. 

King of Comedy
Tricky King
God of Cookery

That's all I can think of now..

[Reply #604 on:]

Hm, I wanna see the second HP movie, too, but it doesn't come out here for ages.

[Reply #605 on:]

HP and the chamber of what not:
Tsa'll right, though I was taken against my will. It's pretty much the same as the first one, cept' a lot scarier for a child to see. But if they rated it PG 13, think of how much money would have been lost. Meh, if you wanna wait in line for 2 hours to see it, fine. But that's only my opinion and aww I'll shut up.

[Reply #606 on:]

HP AND...yeah
 Chock full of happiness.Filled my insides with Hot Chocolate and fuzzy kittens. it was the visual sensation i was expecting and Ron was hysterical. Much better then the original and i can't wait for the next one.

[Reply #607 on:]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I liked this film. Although I kept laughing whenever Ron's voice kept breaking. I jumped 5 times!!! Just shows how chicken I am at watching films. It had a lot more visual effects which were cool.

I wonder who'll they cast as Dumbledore in the next film.

[Reply #608 on:]

Hmm, I would have thought for the US market they'd have to rename it Harry Potter and the Room of Secrets, or Harry Potter and the Cave of Secrets or something...

And no, I haven't seen it yet. I still haven't seen the first one...

[Reply #609 on:]

Harry Potter & Daddy's Forbidden Closet Of Mystery.

[Reply #610 on:]

Isn't daddy dead?

[Reply #611 on:]

Fellowship of the Ring: Special Edition

What can I say that hasn't already been said? Great acting. Great visuals. Great script.

Anybody know which were the new scenes? I never saw the original edition...

[Reply #612 on:]

Harry potter and the chamber of secrets

YAY! what a brilliant film, way better than the first and it had a brilliant story, the actors have improved greatly now too!

[Reply #613 on:]

 

Originally posted by dubdub:
Brazil by Terry Gilliam is my all time favourite movie.
Shaolin Soccer is the latest good movie i've seen.

Coincidently, watching the DVD commentaries, a lot of Brazil went into the inspiration of the Central Beaucracy in HHRHGB. I had no idea what Brazil was (apart from the large lumber stockpile doodad down south), until now. 

...Sorry, I'll make a more relevant post later.

[Reply #614 on:]

The Time machine:
It was alright, though I don't suggest wasting money to see it (Not like you would anyway...), but nonetheless, twas good. The moon broke into pieces thanks to humans, and thats all I have to say. Cause I'm tired.

[Reply #615 on:]

 

Originally posted by Kryten:
Fellowship of the Ring: Special Edition
Anybody know which were the new scenes? I never saw the original edition...

Didn't your little booklet that came with the DVD set say which scenes had been added/extended? Mine did....

I can scan it for you if you want.

[Reply #616 on:]

Oh... haven't read that yet.

[Reply #617 on:]

 

Originally posted by Ben:
Hmm, I would have thought for the US market they'd have to rename it Harry Potter and the Room of Secrets, or Harry Potter and the Cave of Secrets or something...

[american child] Mommy, what's a "secret"? [/ac]

[Reply #618 on:]

No, for American audiences...it'll be "Harry Potter II: Harry's Revenge"

[Reply #619 on:]

Donnie Darko

A movie about a borderline crazy teenager who is told what to do by a giant rabbit.  Elements of time travel are in the story as the rabbit tells him things that are going to happen.  The movie is as bizzare as it sounds, but I liked it quite a lot.  It's very hard to describe, but if you like out there type movies, I'd recommend seeing it.  This movie has Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle and Patrick Swayze in it(they're accessory characters), but I never saw any advertisements for it.  I guess they didn't want to spend money on marketing.  Definitely see it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Reply #620 on:]

 

Originally posted by dubdub:
Brazil by Terry Gilliam is my all time favourite movie.
Shaolin Soccer is the latest good movie i've seen.

  da duuuuu da da du du dee dee da duuuuu, da da du du dee dee da duuuuuu, da da du du dee dee dum deeeeeeeee, da duuuu, da deeeeeeee, da duuuh, da duh - that one, with the exploding TV (beginners luck)?  Good film.  I think i'm going to the international film festival here sometime next week, so I'll see if I can find some anime for all you people like wu_kong out there.

  He died with a felaffel in his hand.  oh, and Corto Maltese

[Reply #621 on:]

 

Originally posted by Dark Prince:
   da duuuuu da da du du dee dee da duuuuu, da da du du dee dee da duuuuuu, da da du du dee dee dum deeeeeeeee, da duuuu, da deeeeeeee, da duuuh, da duh - that one, with the exploding TV (beginners luck)? 
[/small]

Exploding TV? Reminds me of something else Terry Gilliam was associated with.

TV announcer: The time now is 5:13 and it's time for the penguin on top of your TV to explode.
Penguin: **BOOM!!!**
Old Woman: Oooo, how did he know that was going to happen?
TV announcer: It was an inspired guess!

 

[Reply #622 on:]

Groundhog Day
I'd seen parts of this when I was little but yesterday finally got to watch it all. I thought this was a pretty cool film. But afterwords when I was trying to sleep, I kept thinking that I'd wake up and it would be Nov 18th over and over again!

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
I couldn't be bothered to wait for ITV1 to show it, so I realised a friend had it and borrowed it off her. It was a good film - nice fight at the end.

[Reply #623 on:]

Well, I guess this is where I should post this. It's not a review, it's a preview. Scorceses' "Gangs Of New York" comes out next month. (I know, I know, it's got DiCapprio in it, I'm not gonna concentrate on that when I watch the movie.) Yes. Me. The Sarge. I'm actually gonna try to go to a theatre to watch this movie. I usually just rent.
I read the c1929 book a few months ago, not even realizing that a movie had already been made about it. (Held back because of 9/11.)
The piece I read through the Drudge Report said that Scorcese had a set over a mile long built recreating the old 5 Points district of Manhatten. I gotta see it just for this. The chunk of the book the movie concentrates on is the 1840s through the 1860s. The Dead Rabbits, the Plug Uglies, & the Native Americans (no, not Indians). This sounds like a really brutal film. Oh boy oh boy oh boy! 

[Reply #624 on:]

I think "The Sarge" has a thing for Leo

[Reply #625 on:]

He's got Leo fever...catch it if you can!

[Reply #626 on:]

I thought the old lady in Titanic was cum soaking hot!

[Reply #627 on:]

M'eh... she's no Rappin' Granny.

[Reply #628 on:]

Ugh...that's so 1991.

[Reply #629 on:]

  Last night I watched "From Hell", and frankly I wish it had never left.  It is completely shite.  The acting is as wooden as David Dickinson's tan, and the accents are terrible - worse than Mr Reaves' Englishman in Dracula.  Although Heather Graham is pretty damn hot, she doesn't look too good with ginger hair, and their is little or no emotion.  The film is also extremely cliche ridden, and you can tell from about 15 mins in exactly what is going to happen for the rest of the film.  I'm sure you strange people that love to point out those inconsistencies - "Oh look, that extra playing the part of archer #7 is wearing trainers" etc - will also find plenty to complain about.

  Being a film about Jack the Ripper and carrying an 18 certificate, you would expect a little more gore perhaps, but it is mainly confined to pictures of a bunch of clothes with ketchup on, accompanied by random policeman #3 gagging or throwing up.

  Overall a huge dissapointment, as a film about this could have done so much more.

Score:  3/10 (unintentional comedy value)

[Reply #630 on:]

I saw two films recently, alright one is exclusive to video and DVD

First:Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Better than the first that's for sure, the kids are a little better at acting in this one at any rate. Kenneth Branagh is great as Lockhart, I like his work anyway. Still I felt certain bits were overly sentimental and I sure don't remember that many hints in the book about a Hermione and Harry relationship.

since I can't be bothered to go into to much detail I'll say this it was good but the lenght of the film sure made my arse hurt, damn cinema seats so uncomfortable. If your a Potter fan go see if not I'd wait til you can rent it that way you can pause it and streatch your legs.I give it
7/10

Next: Lored of the Rings Felloship of the Rind special extended version.
Let's say I loved the first version but this is better. It fills out the characters almost in the same way that the book did. I was still curious why they did not out the Tom Babadil sceen in aah well.
This is a must see for all LotR fansit may be long but it is worth it
10/10

[Reply #631 on:]

I'm probably going to see the new Bond film tonight, so I'll see if I can write a coupple of things tomorrow.  From what i've heard from my other housemates though it's pretty good.

  Oh yeah, and when I said they had bad accents in from hell, I just saw Oceans eleven again last night, and they're accents aren't actually as bad as the "cockney" guy.

[Reply #632 on:]

Saw the new HP movie. Not too bad but I agree with wu_konguk, (spoilers)


the scene at the end with everyone chearing on Hagrid was super cheesy (although they did a great job of making him look like he went through Hell) The cinematography was good although Malfoy at the end had the most obvious eyelight I have seen in a major motion picture... They are used to fill in shadows in the face. In this movie it just made him look wierd and was completely unmotivated. Also is it me or did Williams sound more like his earlier work then usual with this score? I swore I heard the themes to about a half dozen of his films at certain times.

[Reply #633 on:]

Die Another Day

  Saw this a couple of days back, but couldn't be bothered to wander into a library until now.  As a film, it's pretty good - plenty of explosions, special effects, Brosnan in a "Robinson Crusoe" beard, and evil plots of world domination etc.  However, it is definitely not one of the best Bond films ever created. 

  Sadly, it's hard to highlight the failures in the film without spoiling it completely, so i'll have to make at least part of this review invisible.  Suffice to say that it is too exagerated and technological - even for a Bond film.  It almost seems like a spoof of itself at times.   As with so many Bonds before it, it is extremely easy to guess who the villains are, even if Commander Bond can't.

  A good thing is the sword fight scene though, and the film is enjoyable, and you can expect the sexual innuendometer to go flying through the roof.

  cue spoilers

Show spoiler

The tecnology used seems to be too far advanced, e.g the whole invisible car thing, and the man in robot armour.  REALLY advanced plastic surgery.

  Also, even though it is in VR, the whole idea of the Moneypenny-Bond relationship is that they NEVER kiss, they just flirt.  The use of the VR means that you are almost waiting for the end of the film to come, and Bond to just take the glasses off.

  However, having said all that, I still enjoyed the film itself immensely, and would recommend it anyone going to watch it.

  Can't think of a mark to give it.  Probably around 8 or 9ish out of 10.

  I am HoBIS

[Reply #634 on:]

Groundhog Day

Just got around to watching this, I actually thought it was pretty damn good. A very original storyline, with a sarcastic weatherman experiencing a single day over and over again.
Not extremely funny, just amusing and interesting.

I give it 8/10 (thats good for me)

[Reply #635 on:]

Die Another Day

A great film, had enough action in it, but not too much to ruin it. As a normal film it was great.

If you are going to see it, the following may contain spoilers

As a Bond film however, it didn't seem right. Was it the fact that at the start Bond had been captured and needed to be rescued, too little Q and M (or no Desmond Leyellin (ok, that's terrible spelling) or the lack of gadgets. It was still a good Bond film, but didn't seem the same as the other films.

I agree, the car was way too advanced, however it was well explained and seemed very believable.

I personally thought the VR Bond/Moneypenny scene at the end was good, it's Bond 20 and i think they wanted Moneypenny to get it for once.

I loved the old gadgets underground, being able to say 'that was in.....' was good, but the new gadgets were lacking.

The superweapon was a bit pathetic though. It didn't seem as threatening or as interesting as the others.

Overall, a great film but it was off as a Bond film. I still rate it highly, 9/10.

[Reply #636 on:]

GHOST SHIP
 this movie has got the best Group Death scene i have ever witnessed. God it was cool! The plot was also very good despite how cheesy the tv commercials made it look. i wouldn't mind seeing it again.

[Reply #637 on:]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

MUCH better than the first. At some point, the kids actually learned how to act. The world of Hogwarts seems more realized, and not as "fake" as last time. Brannagh is HILARIOUS.

[Reply #638 on:]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Kryten nailed this one right on the head.  This movie was far superior to the first one in the series.  The acting was good across the board except for Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), whose performance in the spider confrontation hearkened back to the old Simpsons gag, "Yeah, Bart, I've seen your stupid Shemp."  It was good to see Robbie Coltrane back in action, since his depature as Valentin Zukovsky in recent Bond films.  Alan Rickman was also back as the sinister Severus Snape, a role he seems so suited for after playing Hans Gruber.  Kenneth Branagh was also a great addition to this film, as the charming, bombastic, and ultimately fraudulent Defense Against the Drak Arts instructor Gilderoy Lockhart.

As someone who has never read any of the Harry Potter books, I'm not really one to speak on the accuracy of the movie with respect to the novel, but as a fan of the Harry Potter movies, I feel confident in saying that this movie was great fun to watch.  After the first installment, I was left wondering about the relationship between Harry Potter and Draco Moltroy.  In the most recent movie we see a clearer explanation of the rivalry and even ethnic hatred between 'pure-bloods' and 'mud-bloods'.  Even though there wasn't an all-out fight between them, the sparring match and Lucius Malfoy's attack on Harry clearly seems to be foreshadowing future conflict between Potter and the Malfoys.  The Chamber of Secrets also did a good job in explaining more of the history of Hogwarts and wizardry in general.  Two of the best and scariest scenes were the encounters with the spiders and the Basilisk.  I hate spiders with a vengence so that attack would've been quite intense anyway, but the direction and inherhent action of the scene really kept the pressure up by keeping the pace high.  The Basilisk was also inherently frightening (I can't think of a fifty foot snake that wouldn't be).  I think the greatest credit to the CGI staff was that the Basilisk didn't just look like a monster, it looked real.  In much the same way that I could believe the dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park series, I could believe the Basilisk.  There was one shot in particular where the Basilisk is searching for Harry in a tunnel and the camera seems to come within inches of the Basilisk's nose, and one can almost see the beast thinking as it sniffs for Harry.

Looking back at my review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone I think the biggest improvement this movie made was cleaning up the CGI.  Of course, the addition of a CG character wasn't a great idea (Dobby and Jar Jar Binks...separated at birth?)  Along with the special effects, I think the acting on the part of the kids was also vastly improved from the first film.  All in all, I give this film 7.7 out of eight stars and it has been added to 'MyMovies' at IMDB.com.

[Reply #639 on:]

Die Another Day

Oh god, what a train wreck.  As I walked into the theater with my friend I said, "This movie is really going to have to impress me if it starts out with Madonna singing the theme song."  Needless to say, the movie never really got out of that hole.  To start with, the opening credits were god-awful.  My friend metioned that he normally dislikes Bond film openings, but he agreed that this one was particularly painful, thanks to that terrible, terrible song by Madonna.  I hate new-age, techno, dance/trance, crap music, and the song was all of the above (with emphasis on "crap" ).  Madonna also had a bit part in the movie.  Didn't she learn anything from Swept Away, The Next Best Thing, and Body of Evidence?  Moving away from digs at Madonna, it's time to start digging at Halle Berry.  I swear that either Neal Purvis or Robert Wade (or both) need to be shot for every one of Halle's lines.  I can't be certain, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that neither one of them has much experience writing parts for sassy, black spies.  Zao: "Who sent you?"  Jinx: "Yo momma, and she wanted me to tell you..."  As if this exchange wasn't evidence enough, there was this gem between Miranda and Jinx... Miranda: "I can read your every move!"  Jinx: Stabbing her with a knife embedded in a book. "Read this, bitch."  I agreed with my friend's observation that the only way that could've been worse was if 'bitch' was replaced by 'ho' or 'skank'.  At least John Cleese was at the top of his game.  If I've said it once, I've said it a dozen times, if Q has to be played by anyone but Desmond Llewelyn, I'm glad it John Cleese.  He's taken Q back to the level he was at the beginning of the Bond series, sharp-tongued and impatient with 007's antics.  His performance starkly contrasted with the late Mr. Llewelyn's almost fatherly portrayal from the last few films.

I can't remember my Bond trivia as well as I could so if someone could help me, I'd greatly appreciate it...wasn't the idea of a giant, space-borne heat beam used in Diamonds Are Forever?  Maybe I'm mistaken, but that was in the back of my mind as soon as I saw the thing unfurling.  Also, I can't remember exactly what purpose the diamonds served in Die Another Day other than give Bond and Graves a reason to hack at each other with antique swords.  Speaking of that scene, it was awesome.  It was truly a credit to the film's stunt coordinators G.A. Aguilar and Vic Armstrong, as well as the swordmaster, whose name escapes me at the moment.  Like aslate said, a few of the gadgets seemed a little too 'Star Trek' to be included in a Bond film, namely the 'adaptive camouflage' (cloaking), genetic engineering/plastic surgery, the virtual reality training facility, and the 'ergonomic' Icarus control hardware.  Each of these seemed way ahead of its time, and I half expected Graves to order Icarus to fire a full spread of photon torpedoes.  I also thought it was hilarious how all of the C4 in the movie was duly labled, and how all the lables looked the same.  As my friend put it, "You shop for high-explosives at Wal-Mart too?"  Two of my biggest pet peeves about this movie were its new-age scene cutting and over-use of CGI.  The cutting to which I'm referring is the currently-hip practice of flying the camera around a scene at high speeds before locking it down on a character or object.  This really bugged me, as it was just so un-Bondish and flash-in-the-panish, hardly a way to go about not dating your film.  The CGI problem was clearly visible in the shots of Bond surfing away from the iceberg's wake and when he kicks his foil toward the camera in the fencing scene.  The surfing shots just needed to be cleaned up and were largely a technical problem, while the sword could have been omitted on the whole and was more of an artistic problem.  I think everyone would agree that the car chase across the frozen lake was phenominal, and made good use of all the gadgets at the drivers' discretions.  I especially liked Zao's Jaguar-mounted minigun.

Overall, I'd say this movie was pretty exciting, even though it had its obvious shortcomings *cough*HalleBerry*cough*.  As a standalone movie, I give it a 6.5 of eight, but as a Bond movie it only gets 4.2.